Lakecaster
Online Archives - Dec, 2004

FOCUS
ON THE WACKY WORM

By Joe Joslin

In my opinion, there is
not a more productive technique for the
beginning angler than the wacky worm. How
successful can this technique be? My records
in 2003 show that our guide service caught
over 2000 bass on the wacky worm alone
and many of these were caught by novice
anglers with lady anglers catching their
share. This is a light tackle technique
but is not necessary ultra light. My largest
bass thus far in 2004, a Toledo 11.5 pounder,
came with a wacky worm on light tackle.
However, a wacky worm and light tackle
will, many times, get you the most action
even though a lot of these fish will be
under 3 pounds. As far as line with wacky
worming, I use 10 lb. Berkley Big game
80% of the time. I landed the 11 1/2 pounder
on 10 lb Trilene Big Game line, a 7 foot
Fenwick Techna Spinning rod with a Abu
Garcia Cardinal C672 spinning reel. The
other times, I may go up to 12 lb Big Game
or down to 8 lb Vanish Fluorocarbon when
conditions get really tough. As a beginning
angler, a proper knot is vital!! For 95%
of my fishing, I use a Palomar knot and
use it 100% with wacky worming.

The palomar is easy to tie and has the
best knot strength of most, if not all,
quality knots. If you do not know how to
tie one, find an angler who does and get
them to show you how! If you will send
me a self addressed, STAMPED envelope,
I will send you a Berkley card with an
easy-to-follow diagram of how to tie a
Palomar. An improper knot will lose some
nice fish for you producing an "Ache-ee/Break-ee
Heart" and, at times, causing you
to expand your vocabulary. The way I rig
a wacky is to take a 2/0 Daiichi Round
Bend worm hook (Owner also makes a good
wacky hook), tie a palomar using 10 LB
test. I then take a ReAction Looney Worm
(7 inch), Berkley Gulp Wacky Crawler (5
inch) or a hand poured straight tail worm
by RPM(Rick and Pam Morris).

I hook the worm near or in the egg sack
(middle of the worm) and leave the hook
completely exposed. Some anglers use a
weadless hook with a thin wire but I do
not like that approach, especially in clear
water like I encounter most of the time
on south Toledo and Rayburn. The only weight
I use is to insert a 1 inch paneling nail
into the nose of the worm....if there is
a slight wind or if I want to fish a little
deeper (in the heat of Summer), I may insert
2 nails side by side. These nails have
groves on them which will help keep them
inserted in the worm. They also are cheap
and can be found at most hardware stores.
As mentioned earlier, I use spinning tackle
for a number of reasons. It gives my arms
a break from using baitcast equipment,
it is easier on line and I get fewer kinks
in my lines than when I use spincast. Also,
until recently when Abu Garcia started
putting the Stamina Drag System in the
Abumatic Spincast line, there was not a
decent drag system in any spincast.

Now that we have our rigs fish ready,
lets get it in the water. I like to fish
a wacky around submerged grass. I cast
my wacky rig usually in depths from 6-16'
and let it settle to the bottom. Note...it
is very common for the bass to hit the
bait on the fall so be careful when you
start to take up slack. To fish a wacky,
you need to be a line watcher. If you feel
a slight tap, lift the rod carefully and
watch you line. A lot of the time you will
see the line moving, while other times
it will just feel tight with a slight movement.
When working the worm, I lift my wacky
rod just slightly trying to keep the worm
close to the grass or other structure.
Remember, the worm is light and if you
work it too fast you keep it out of the
fish zone. Also, you do not have to rush
if you get a bite but slowly lower you
rod, take up slack and set your hook with
a "pull" instead of a hard jerk.

Remember, you are using light line and
if you set the hook like a weight-lifter,
you will break off a lot of fish. Since
your hook is exposed, the hook set is much
easier than a TX and C.R. Get as much slack
out of your line as possible before you
set the hook. A lot of times when wacky
worming, a bass will get the hook down
deep in the throat. Take great care on
not hurting the fish. I have developed
a technique where I turn the bass over
on its back in my left hand/arm and take
the trigger finger on my right hand, find
the bend of the hook and push in the hook
firmly. Most of the time, it will pop out.
I have had the personal satisfaction of
saving lots of bass with hooks deep in
the throat.

Use a needle nose pliers ONLY as a last
resort. I have followed some anglers down
a bank finding several dead or dying bass
on the surface. Also, when you unhook a
bass, ease it back in the water instead
of tossing it. We can all do a better job
in taking care of our fishery. Like most
fishing techniques, showing(hands on) is
a lot easier than trying to put it in print.
Hopefully, this will help to get your interest
up if you have never tried Wacky. For a
'hands on' trip(with water) give me a shout.
Our next session in this series we will
continue patterns/techniques for the beginning
angler and will deal with spinnerbaits
and top water applications. Until then,
God Bless and spend lots of time with friends
and family.....some of it on the water!

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